Escape From Azkaban
by tinylexie
Summary: The mass Death Eater breakout that occurs during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
1. Imperio

**Author's Note** **: This will be a multi-chapter story.**

 **Additional Author's Note : There are references to several of my other stories.**

* * *

The Dementors did not take long to sense their presence.

Lucius drew his wand as several Dementors glided in his direction.

The blond-haired wizard did not consider, even for a moment, using the Patronus Charm as a form of defense. For one thing, all of his happy memories were tainted by tragedy. For another thing, he did not believe in love. In fact, he hated that word with a passion.

The Dementors drifted even closer.

Lucius gritted his teeth with determination as he pointed his wand at the creatures. He would not allow the painful memories of his past to overwhelm him. He was stronger than that.

" _Imperio,"_ Lucius hissed.

At first, the Dementors tried to resist. However, Lucius had always considered himself a master at the Imperius Curse. Out of all the three Unforgivable Curses, the Imperius Curse was the one that he had experimented with the most.

Most wizards and witches thought that the Imperius Curse could only be used against other humans and perhaps against certain types of animals, but Lucius had refused to believe that was the case. Total control over everyone and everything was something that he had long sought, and that goal had been one of the few things in his life that both his father and the Dark Lord had encouraged and supported.

* * *

Lucius allowed himself a slight smile of satisfaction as he felt the Dementors bend to his will. They stopped to look at him, waiting for him to command them.

"Get back from me," Lucius ordered. "Move away from the prison."

The Dementors were quick to obey.

"Very impressive, Lucius," the Dark Lord breathed from behind him. "I am relieved to see that you have not completely lost your touch after all the years that you have spent pretending to be a respectable citizen."

"I never stopped doing unrespectable things, my lord," Lucius replied.

To the blond-haired wizard's surprise, the Dark Lord laughed in amusement. A part of Lucius, after all, had been expecting for his master to once again admonish him on not being a faithful servant when the Dark Lord had temporary fallen to Harry Potter all those years ago.

However, Lucius had learned quickly as a young child that you could never fully predict what the Dark Lord's reaction would be to a statement or to an action. One moment, Lucius was absolutely wonderful in his master's eyes. The next moment, though, Lucius was viewed as being completely worthless. Lucius, therefore, had learned to always expect the worse but to be happy on the few occasions that he actually received praise and not pain or mockery from the Dark Lord.

* * *

The Dementors continued to make their way out of Azkaban to confront the new source of souls that had suddenly presented themselves.

"They sense kindred spirits," the Dark Lord laughed joyfully. "They wish to join our party." Then, he remarked casually, "The others are not faring as well as you did, Lucius. They lack your spirit and creativity."

Lucius resisted the temptation to shake his head in disbelief. He could remember the many times that the Dark Lord had been angry at him for having those exact traits.

It didn't make any sense. Sometimes the Dark Lord wanted his servants to be able to operate by themselves and not need him to direct their every step and thought. Most of the time, however, the Dark Lord wanted his servants to be completely mindless.

* * *

Lucius directed his attention away from his master and instead focused on his fellow Death Eaters.

He quickly noticed that Nott was completely surrounded by a group of Dementors.

Nott had his wand in his hand, but it was hanging limply and Lucius could see enough of the other man's face to know that Nott was absolutely petrified.

"His spirit has become as weak as his body," the Dark Lord commented lazily. "Alas, he has allowed his age to get the best of him. But not you, Lucius. You have kept yourself sharp. Go help him. He may be pathetic, but I do not wish to lose any more servants unless absolutely necessary."

"As you wish, my lord," Lucius responded before striding in Nott's direction, his wand steady in his hand.

" _Imperio,"_ Lucius hissed. "Away from him. Find another pathetic creature to suck all the happiness from."

After a few brief moments of struggle, the Dementors departed from Nott and glided away.

Nott gave Lucius a shaky nod of his head in thanks, but the blond-haired wizard just strolled past him, not pausing even for a moment.

" _Imperio,"_ Lucius growled at another group of Dementors that were gliding towards him.

At first, the Dementors began to bend to Lucius's will. Then, all of a sudden, they began to come back towards him. Despite Lucius's best efforts, it was as if there was another force at work besides just his own.

 _The Dark Lord. But why? What game is the Dark Lord playing with me now?_

Lucius felt himself slowly starting to become overwhelmed. He tried to ignore all the memories, but he couldn't.

His father dragging him down to the dungeons in Malfoy Manor and chaining him to the wall.

All those hours in the darkness and the cold.

The walls closing in around him.

His father using the Cruciatus Curse on him.

His father taunting him about how he had killed his mother in childbirth. His father giving him another piece of his mother's jewelry for his birthday.

Him and his father being attacked by a group of wizards. One of the wizards shooting the Killing Curse at him, which would have struck him if he had been just a little slower.

That green light, so close.

Narcissa telling him that she was pregnant. Their marriage. Narcissa holding their stillborn daughter Ara.

The bloody fetus on their bedroom floor. The bloody fetus so tiny and so undeveloped that they didn't even know if it had been a boy or a girl.

Narcissa wanting to leave him so that he could find what she considered to be a better Pureblood woman, a Pureblood woman who would actually be able to give him children.

Learning that Regulus was dead. Him holding Narcissa as she cried over the young man who she had always viewed more as a brother than as a cousin.

Narcissa lying unconscious in front of Ara's grave.

Draco being born. Draco becoming ill. Draco laying in a bed at St. Mungo's, looking as pale as death.

Learning that it had been his own father who had caused Ara to be a stillborn, who had caused all the miscarriages that had followed afterwards.

Attending the funeral of one of Narcissa's best friends, Flora.

* * *

"No," Lucius cried in desperation, struggling to stay on his feet. _"Imperio."_

The Dementors finally glided away. The blond-haired wizard then spun around angrily, forgetting himself and forgetting who he was speaking to in the heat of the moment.

"Why did you do that?" Lucius snarled at the Dark Lord. "Why did you push them back towards me?"

"You forget yourself, Lucius," the Dark Lord said in a soft but deadly voice. "You should know by now that you deserve to be punished whenever you do something wrong."

"What have I done wrong now?" Lucius asked. His voice wasn't exactly as respectful as he knew it ought to be, but it wasn't angry or rude either.

"You ordered the Dementors to leave instead of ordering them to join me," the Dark Lord hissed. "They are our natural allies. They are of the darkness as we are. Do they not call to you as all your dark artifacts do?"

"No, they do not," Lucius said simply after a brief moment of hesitation.

Lucius knew that he was probably pushing his luck with the Dark Lord, but he hated these creatures. He hated what they did to him. All his dark artifacts brought him comfort and pleasure. The Dementors, on the other hand, did nothing but remind him of all the horrible events that had occurred in his life.

* * *

The Dark Lord looked at him for a long moment before saying in a disappointed tone of voice, "You are not my Lucius. You have been away from me for too long. A lesson is clearly in order."

"I shall order them to your side," Lucius said quickly.

"Are you trying to imply that I could not do that myself?" the Dark Lord asked, his voice deceptively soft.

Lucius could not help but stare at his master for a long moment. A few moments ago, the Dark Lord was angry at him for not bringing the Dementors to him. Now, however, the Dark Lord was angry at him for wanting to bring the Dementors to him.

"I know that you are the master," Lucius finally said. "I have _never_ thought otherwise."

"Yet you did not look for me in my time of need," the Dark Lord retorted, his voice only increasing slightly in volume.

But then again, the Dark Lord had never needed to speak loudly to be threatening and intimidating.

"And I am truly sorry for that," Lucius returned. "Please, let me make it up to you."

"Avery is in trouble now," was all that the Dark Lord said.

Lucius turned and walked quickly to his fellow Death Eater's aid. He made sure this time around to order the Dementors to make their way to the Dark Lord's side.

* * *

If Lucius had not been so worried about the safety and well-being of Narcissa, Draco, and himself, he would have really taken the time to wonder why he tried so hard to please the Dark Lord.

Were the few times that his master was actually happy with him really worth all the times that he felt like he was walking on eggshells around the Dark Lord?


	2. Reunions

**Author's Note : This chapter has been slightly edited, mostly in some of my word choices, based on a review that I received**.

* * *

Bellatrix had always known that this moment would eventually arrive. Unlike so many of the other Death Eaters, _she_ had never lost faith in the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard to have ever lived.

The dark-haired witch smiled in twisted delight as she felt her Dark Mark burn. She clapped her hands in delight as she felt the Dementors departing from the prison. Even they didn't stand a chance against her wondrous master.

Bellatrix suddenly heard the sound of the wall being broken down not that far away. Several moments later, her cell door opened.

Bellatrix quickly jumped to her feet and made her way out into the corridor. She then looked around as she watched several other Death Eaters also exit their now open prison cells.

For several moments, all the Death Eaters just stood there. It was eerily silent.

 _Come to me, my faithful,_ the Dark Lord's voice suddenly spoke in Bellatrix's head. _Our time has come again. Vengeance and ultimate power shall be ours. Join my side once more._

"Follow me," Bellatrix ordered her fellow Death Eaters. "Our master awaits us."

Of course, none of the Death Eaters knew which way to go in order to get out of Azkaban, but that didn't make any difference. Their master's presence would act as their guide.

The Dark Lord was all that they would ever need.

* * *

Lucius watched as the Dark Lord used his wand to cast a powerful Blasting Curse, which brought down a huge section of the wall in front of him.

Several Dementors glided out and began to make their way towards the Dark Lord.

"None of that, my friends," he laughed, lifting up his wand. "We are of the same spirit, but I am still the master."

"This is almost better than beheading a creature that had been deemed dangerous by the Ministry," Macnair grinned at Lucius.

"Then it truly is a pity that Dementors cannot be killed, Macnair," Lucius replied, "because surely nothing would ever give you greater pleasure than to be able to behead one of _these_ dangerous creatures."

Macnair laughed at the blond-haired wizard's words.

"Indeed, indeed," Macnair spoke, "but I have a feeling our master wouldn't appreciate that very much."

"I have no doubt that the Dark Lord will soon provide you with another source of amusement," Lucius replied. "He knows what makes you happy."

Several Dementors suddenly glided their way. Lucius lifted up his wand and breathed, _"Imperio."_

"Beautiful, simply beautiful, Lucius," Macnair laughed as he watched the Dementors bend to his fellow Death Eater's will.

Lucius didn't comment as he directed the Dementors to join his master's side.

At that moment, the Dark Lord turned his head and spotted the familiar long platinum blond hair even though the sea of Dementors all around him.

"Lucius," the Dark Lord called, "come join me in our great triumph tonight as we greet my faithful."

The blond-haired wizard bit his lip to keep himself from retorting that the other Death Eaters with them had also denied the Dark Lord all those years ago, but unlike Lucius, they weren't constantly being reminded of that fact.

It really was not wise to push the Dark Lord too far.

Instead, Lucius forced himself to walk towards his master and all the Dementors around him.

" _Imperio,"_ Lucius hissed. "Move aside for me."

The Dementors glided ever so slightly in order to make a clear pathway for the blond-haired wizard.

"You really don't like them, do you, Lucius?" the Dark Lord laughed. "Are your memories truly that horrible? Pity. I always thought you were stronger than that."

Lucius did not reply as he kept his eyes focused on the huge hole in the wall before them.

"I feel them coming," the Dark Lord suddenly exclaimed. "My faithful. My _true_ family."

* * *

Bellatrix took a moment to savor the fresh air. It had been more than a decade since she had last felt it. She then looked up at the dark sky, and she saw all the Dementors gliding above her. They were making their way towards a figure that she instantly recognized despite the amount of time that had passed since she had last seen him.

The Dark Lord. Her master. Her beloved master.

Bellatrix laughed with twisted glee as she began to make her way towards the Dark Lord.

She had always known that he would one day return and that he would one day come to free her.

Bellatrix fell to her knees in front of her master. She shivered in delight as the Dark Lord patted her head.

"My Bellatrix," the Dark Lord almost purred. "My faithful, devoted Bellatrix. Ah, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Antonin, come to me. Your loyalty will be greatly rewarded."

The three Death Eaters eagerly approached the Dark Lord and like Bellatrix had, they fell to their knees in front of him. They smiled in pleasure as their master patted their heads as well.

* * *

Lucius's mouth could not help but twist slightly in disgust as he watched the Dark Lord pat the newly freed Death Eaters on their heads as if they were pets instead of people.

To add to the aristocratic wizard's disgust, the Death Eaters seemed to be enjoying the treatment that they were receiving from their master.

* * *

Bellatrix suddenly looked up and caught sight of Lucius. Her lips curled in displeasure as she made her way to her feet and towards her brother-in-law.

"Now you come here, Lucius," Bellatrix hissed. "Where were you when our master was in need?"

"I came here looking for a lady," Lucius replied. "Did you see any on your way out?"

Bellatrix looked at her brother-in-law for a long moment before breaking out in hysterical laughter. "As much as it shames me to admit this, there were times I almost missed your wit. Why did you never bring your wit here to visit me during my many years of imprisonment? Surely you had high enough connections in the Ministry to have done so."

"I would have only come to visit if you had been in a grave instead of in a prison cell, Bellatrix," Lucius responded.

Bellatrix laughed again. "You really do have a tender heart, don't you, Lucius? Not that I'm really shocked by your lack of care and compassion for me. But Cissy. I had truly thought that Cissy would have been different, but I never saw her either, not even once."

"Did you truly believe that I would have ever brought Narcissa to a place like this?" Lucius returned.

"You're right, Lucius," Bellatrix said. "Narcissa is much too fragile for a place like this. She would have crumbled and broken in less time than it would have taken for her delicate heart to beat just once."

"Do not speak about Narcissa like that," Lucius snarled. "She has always and always will be better and more worthy than you."

"She is as pathetic as you are, Lucius," Bellatrix retorted, "but she is family, so I will forgive her for her weakness."

Lucius's hand tightened around his wand, but he forced his face to remain cold and expressionless. "Family bonds did not matter this much to you in the past when it came to another, Bellatrix," he said softly. "Perhaps we should keep you here longer. Azkaban has clearly helped to improve your temperament."

"You dare," Bellatrix hissed. "You dare to reference _her_."

"Only because I knew what your reaction would be," Lucius smirked slightly. "You really are _pathetically_ predictable, Bellatrix."

"You dare," Bellatrix hissed. "You dare."

"Lucius, Bellatrix, what are you two doing over there?" the Dark Lord's voice suddenly spoke. "Come join me and the rest of our family. This is, after all, a night for great celebration."

The angry expression on Bellatrix's face immediately changed to a look of happiness as she turned to approach her master.

Lucius took longer in rejoining the Dark Lord's side, but he didn't seem to notice or care as he was too busy with enjoying his reunion with his Death Eaters.

The blond-haired wizard had never before seen his master looking this happy, but he was still more than content to not be the center of the Dark Lord's attention for at least several moments.

Besides, Bellatrix was enjoying their master's attention more than enough to make up for an entire army.


	3. Hospitality

Narcissa checked the long table one more time to make sure that everything looked perfect. She didn't like the thought of the Dark Lord using Malfoy Manor as a place for him to gather with his Death Eaters, but that didn't mean she would fail to act the part of the perfect hostess. She had been better taught and better bred than that.

The aristocratic woman had never liked how most of the Death Eaters, despite supposedly being proper Purebloods, did not even know how to act like gentlemen. They were truly despicable and disgusting. They were nothing like her Lucius.

Narcissa shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't in any hurry for the Dark Lord to arrive with his Death Eaters, but at the same time she wanted her husband to come back home as soon as possible. She couldn't bear the thought of him being around those Dementors for even a second, much less the time that it would take for the Dark Lord to break out his imprisoned followers.

There was also the matter of her sister Bellatrix. Even after all these years, Narcissa still could not help but feel some guilt for the role that she had played in Bellatrix's capture. Narcissa, though, had been left with no other choice. Barty Crouch Jr. had been looking to betray Lucius, and Bellatrix had failed to heed her sister's warnings to stay away from the younger Crouch.

* * *

Narcissa suddenly heard the sound of flames rising up. She turned to look at the fireplace, and she could not help but smile in relief when Lucius stepped out the fireplace and into the room.

Narcissa raced over to her husband and embraced him, for a moment completely forgetting all sense of dignity.

"Narcissa," Lucius breathed, burying his head into his wife's hair. For a few moments, he allowed himself the pleasure of holding her. However, he quickly remembered that the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters with him would soon be making their way through the Floo Network.

With great reluctance, Lucius pulled himself away from Narcissa.

"They should start arriving at any moment," he said, gently taking his wife's hand. "Bellatrix will be coming through first."

Narcissa just nodded her head, her face not betraying any emotion.

The two Malfoys, their hands still linked, moved to the side of the fireplace.

* * *

The flames rose up again, and moments later Bellatrix was standing in the room.

The two sisters just looked at each other for several moments, neither saying anything.

Narcissa didn't exactly feel nothing, but she didn't feel joy either as she looked upon her sister.

Azkaban had clearly not been kind to Bellatrix. She was still beautiful, but her entire presence was unkempt and the hint of madness that seemingly had always been present in her eyes was even more pronounced than it had been before she had been imprisoned.

"Cissy, you look well," Bellatrix finally spoke, her smile both forced and awkward.

Narcissa definitely didn't know how to respond to that. It would be rude for her to make a comment about her sister's appearance.

"Bella," Narcissa said simply instead, her smile also forced and awkward.

There was silence for several moments.

"Are the others close behind you?" Lucius asked Bellatrix. He had always found that it was best to get to some form of business whenever you happened to find yourself in an awkward personal situation such as this one.

Bellatrix turned to look at her brother-in-law and just nodded her head.

"Then you better move aside for them," Lucius said, "unless of course you don't mind them trampling you when they come through."

"You are so kind to worry so much about my well-being, Lucius," Bellatrix said in a false sweet voice as she moved to her sister's side. "You truly are married to a gentleman, Cissy."

Narcissa didn't reply. Instead, she focused her eyes on the fireplace.

* * *

It seemed to take forever for all the Death Eaters to make their entrance. A part of Narcissa wished that they would just hurry it up already. Another part of her, though, wished that something would suddenly go wrong with the Floo Network that would prevent the Death Eaters from being able to get through.

Finally, the Dark Lord himself made his entrance. He looked around the room at all his Death Eaters, a rare expression of happiness on his face. Then, he turned to look at Lucius.

"It was most gracious of you, Lucius, to allow us all to gather here tonight," the Dark Lord spoke.

"It is always an honour to have you here, my lord," Lucius replied.

Usually, Lucius would make a comment about how it had been Narcissa who had done the most work in getting everything set up, but Lucius didn't want to draw his master's attention to his wife any more than was necessary.

For her part, Narcissa was more than happy to not be in the Dark Lord's line of focus, even though she wished that the same could be true for her husband as well.

"Refreshments have been prepared for everyone," Lucius spoke, sounding every inch the perfect host as he motioned towards the large table in the room. "Shall we all sit down, my lord?"

"Yes, I suppose my faithful are both hungry and thirsty after their time in Azkaban," the Dark Lord returned, motioning for Lucius to lead the way.

Lucius gently rubbed Narcissa's hand as they walked towards the table, closely followed by their company.

The two Malfoys then spent several minutes getting everyone seated, followed by getting everyone a plate of food and a glass of wine in front of them.

Without any hesitation, the Dark Lord sat himself at the head of the table, but he did motion for Lucius and Narcissa to take the empty chairs beside him.

* * *

Bellatrix frowned at being waved aside by her master in favor of Lucius, but she didn't say anything. Let Lucius think that he was the Dark Lord's favorite. She knew that wasn't the truth. She knew that the Dark Lord loved her the most.

Narcissa, meanwhile, was also frowning, but for much different reasons than her sister. It seemed as if most of the gathered Death Eaters, including even the ones that had not just been broken out of Azkaban, did not have the words "table manners" in their vocabulary.

Rodolphus Lestrange especially was slurping his wine.

"What's wrong, Cissy?" Bellatrix asked, seeing the look of disgust on her sister's face.

"Your husband is a pig," Narcissa hissed through gritted teeth, glad that the Dark Lord was still too busy with savoring his moment of happiness at the sight of all his gathered Death Eaters to take any note of their conversation.

Bellatrix looked at her husband for just the barest of moments before turning back to her sister.

"Well, at least _he_ was loyal to the Dark Lord," Bellatrix said.

"Lucius had his reasons for not searching for him," Narcissa responded.

"I suppose Lucius's reasons had something to do with you and your son," Bellatrix sneered. "By the way, when will I get to see my nephew? I haven't been able to see him since he was a baby, especially since you never bothered to come visit me while I was in prison."

"Azkaban is no place for a child," Narcissa snarled.

Bellatrix just shrugged her shoulders, not seeming to really care. She then directed her attention back to the Dark Lord, waiting eagerly for him to just look at her.

The Dark Lord, however, was ready to get back to business now that he had his imprisoned Death Eaters back.

"My faithful," the Dark Lord spoke.

He did not speak loudly, but he didn't need to. Despite all the noise coming from the various conversations taking place and despite the fact that most of the Death Eaters were also busy with eating and drinking as much as they could, they had no problem with hearing their master's voice.

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing in order to direct their full attention to the Dark Lord.

"My faithful," the Dark Lord spoke again, "tonight is truly a joyous occasion, but we cannot forget why we are at this current moment."

The Dark Lord then paused for a moment before breathing as if saying a curse, "Harry Potter."

If possible, the room grew even more silent at the mention of Harry Potter's name.

"His mother prevented me from achieving victory when he was a baby," the Dark Lord continued, "but that will not be the case this time around. His mother is dead, dead by my hands."

The Dark Lord paused for another moment before saying, "There is also the matter of the prophecy concerning Harry Potter. I acted in haste last time, but this time I will know the full details of that prophecy."

The Dark Lord then turned to Augustus Rookwood, who he had made sure to place in a chair near him.

"Rookwood, you once worked in the Department of Mysteries," the Dark Lord breathed. "Your knowledge will ensure Harry Potter's fate."

"I am honoured to serve you in any way that I can, my lord," Rookwood replied. "I will gladly give you everything that I know. The prophecy will be yours."

The Dark Lord smiled at his Death Eater's words. Then, he said, "Now there is the matter of what to do with all of you until the moment arrives for us to take the prophecy. The Ministry is composed of nothing but fools; but even they will quickly learn of tonight's breakout, and I cannot afford to have any of you recaptured until I have that prophecy."

The Dark Lord turned to Lucius.

Beside Lucius, Narcissa stiffened slightly. She knew what the Dark Lord was going to say next, and she knew that Lucius would have no choice but to give in the Dark Lord's will. However, that didn't mean she had to like it.

She didn't want any of the Death Eaters around her, especially with Lucius spending most of his time at the Ministry these days.

She especially didn't want any of the Death Eaters around her son.

"I am honoured to serve you in any way that I can, my lord," Lucius spoke, "but it would not be wise for everyone to stay here. In order to maintain my facade of being a trusted friend to the Minister, I often have to entertain him and other high-ranking Ministry officials, and they are frequent guests here. Forgive me, my lord, but I do not wish to risk anyone being spotted. Fudge is a fool, but he still has eyes."

The Dark Lord nodded his head before saying, "Very well. There are other places where my faithful can hide, but tonight they are tired."

It was now Lucius's time to nod his head. "I will see to it that sleeping arrangements are prepared for everyone. Will you require anything, my lord?"

"No," the Dark Lord said simply, dismissing Lucius with a casual wave of his hand. "I will be elsewhere tonight."

Lucius stood up. He was quickly joined by Narcissa.

"What about me, Lucius?" came Bellatrix's mocking voice. "Are you going to make me leave tomorrow as well?"

If Narcissa had not been there, Lucius would have had no problem with telling Bellatrix where exactly she could go at that very moment. However, since Narcissa was there, Lucius turned to look at her.

"She is family, Lucius," Narcissa said.

"Very well," Lucius responded. He then turned to his sister-in-law. "Narcissa wishes for you to stay here. Do not give her any reason to regret that decision."

Bellatrix just rolled her eyes at her brother-in-law's words.

Lucius, meanwhile, turned back to his wife. Narcissa just nodded her head.

* * *

It took a while, but eventually everyone was settled for the night, even though Lucius made sure that no one was stationed anywhere near his and Narcissa's bedroom. He didn't want any of his fellow Death Eaters being nearer to his wife than was absolutely necessary. He didn't trust any of them to treat her with the respect that she deserved.

"How are you doing, Lucius?" Narcissa asked after they finally were in the privacy of their bedroom. "How bad was it?"

Lucius hesitated for the briefest of moments before saying, "I was able to keep the Dementors away from me. I'm fine."

Narcissa frowned slightly to herself. She could tell that Lucius was not telling her something, but she decided to not push her husband further on the matter.

Besides, she couldn't blame Lucius for not wanting to talk much about the Dementors. In her eyes, they were complete abominations.

"Thank you for allowing Bella to stay here with us," Narcissa spoke. "I really appreciate it."

"She is family," Lucius said simply. He then turned in their bed and gave Narcissa a slight kiss on her lips.

"Let's try to get some sleep now," he said. "We both need to be well-rested for the days ahead."

Narcissa nodded her head. Suddenly, though, she was seized by the impulse to pull Lucius extra close to her.

"Is something wrong, Narcissa?" Lucius asked in concern.

"It's just a feeling I suddenly had," Narcissa replied, "but don't worry about it. You know how I can be sometimes."

Narcissa managed a weak smile before saying, "I just want to be close to you tonight."

Since the Dark Lord had returned, Narcissa had been forced to spend several nights alone. She understood that the Dark Lord needed Lucius, but that didn't mean she had to like having her husband away from her so often.

Just as she had during the First Wizarding War, Narcissa had once again quickly learned to appreciate the few times that she and Lucius were able to share the same bed at night.


End file.
